Desolation
by SpaceMarine500
Summary: A little something I decided to cook up while level editing. First piece of literature by me. Still in progress, thank you.
1. Chapter 1 - From Bloodstained Claws

**Chapter 1: From Bloodstained Claws**

For hours he waited. He was an impatient one, but the invasion changed him. Stuffed in a makeshift shelter made of debris and four battery cells for his Plasma Rifle, he contemplated suicide. The sight of his friends, family and comrades being burned, ripped and torn apart by those hideous and grotesque creatures that seemed to come straight out of a horror movie. Unusually strong and resilient, it took him several shotgun blasts to bring down one. Just one. Being a commissioned officer, Santino was destined for great success as a leader, passing the screening tests with distinction and surviving the drill sergeant. In that cramped hole though, he wished he was already dead. When the invaders came, his team was the first dispatched to investigate. He lost many of his men then and there with whom he developed a sort of friendship. Some of those marines were reanimated into living, flesh-eating, shambling corpses in front of his own eyes. His Plasma Rifle was what kept him alive till now, all COs were issued with one while the Privates and Corporal used rifles and the Sergeants used shotguns. He took a liking for the standard-issue shotguns as well. They had a tight spread and the pump-action was fast and flawless. It also had good range, a drastic improvement over previous shotguns that were only effective at close ranges. Many marines equipped themselves with the shotgun instead of the rifle for missions. Santino remembered the times of his childhood and marriage. All he could do is remember them. He was almost sure his trusted Plasma Rifle wouldn't be able to keep him alive much longer. A sudden explosion threw around the debris and some of them were flung at him. He instantly lost consciousness. He woke up several hours later. He noticed that the constant growling and chaos outside had ceased. Grabbing his Plasma Rifle, he decides to investigate. He was quite surprised to discover the corpses of the hideous creatures reduced to a pile. Being dumbfounded, he could see no trace of marine corpses. "A single marine? How..?", he said to himself. Taking whatever was up for grabs, he decided to find any survivng marine units. Moving to the south of the city, he came across a platoon and was informed that the invaders were reportedly decimated from this part of Earth and there were unconfirmed reports of a single marine slaughtering and driving them back, all by himself.

"Unbelieveable, I know. But we're glad that Northern and Southern America have been retaken. Marines in South-East Asia and India are also slowly gaining the upper hand.", said the CO.

"What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Santino Vitelli"

"Lieutenant Jackson Briggs here. Where are your men?"

"All dead"

"Shit happens. I lost many of my men too, saw them get killed terribly by these things."

"How were you able to get this far with your men?", added Santino.

"We improvised a four-man formation and made our way through the alleyways. They were full of those horned things that charge. Two covering the back, two covering the front. The things were easy pickings. What about you?"

"Lost most of my men out in the fields, pure luck helped me get here."

"Tag along then, we're heading back to HQ. What's left of it"

Santino still felt hollow. What would he get in return for fighting and cleansing Earth? Probably a medal and an honourable discharge but not his life. His mind was running in different directions in the same time. What would he do when the invaders finally regress? What purpose in life would he have left? He thought over it for a while, coming to no conclusion. It took them a while to reach the South American HQ as most dropships and vehicles were immediately sent to fight in Europe, Africa and Asia. The men met Colonel Jonathan Flagg.

"Glad to see you men make it out of there alive. Unusually high concentration of invaders for a single city..", Flagg said.

"Swatted like flies we were.", Santino remarked.

"Weren't we all? As you might have heard, we're gaining ground. South-East Asia is now almost within our grasp. The marines in Europe however, need some help. You're going there. First off, Hannover in Germany. Then you're going to make your way to Caen, France."

"No problem, we'll take it", Jackson said.

"Two 'Cyberdemons' are causing much of the problems there. You're going there tomorrow to launch an attack on the city. Phobos Troopers will cause them some damage and pull back, leaving the marines to do the dirty work. Also, would you lead cleanup squads after the war?"

"We will.", both men said.

"Thank you, I'm sure humanity will require your efforts as it does now. Good luck and godspeed. Dismissed."

Santino reminisced his past life on the way to Europe. What struck him most was the fact that his wife was pregnant when she was burned to a crisp by a large flamethrower-toting creature. Her screams of agony still haunted him. He also thought about the lone marine he heard firing away at the invaders. "Where does he find the determination and the sanity to keep fighting? Didn't he have a family?", he thought. He vividly remembered those floating red creatures that spit deadly plasma from their mouths cackled away as they pulverised his home where his wife rested. There was nothing he could do other than run away and save his own life.

A sudden rush of rage swept over him as he and Jackson were in sight of the Cyberdemons.

"Look at the size..", Jackson remarked.

"Gonna leave a hell of a mark."

They roamed unchallenged through the streets of Hannover, Germany. The smaller creatures were hunted down and decimated quickly by the special Phobos troopers but their weapons couldn't do damage to the Cyberdemons, forcing them to leave. Dropships from Mars were able to send the teams more Plasma Rifles and a BFG9000 as almost all the starports were freed by the mysterious marine. The men were placed among the destruction to ambush them while jet fighters bombed them. It worked, the combined heat of plasma bolts and unguided bombs were more than enough to burn down even the most vile denizen of Hell. Santino watched with satisfaction as both Cyberdemons exploded into a shower of blood. Seems like he found slaughtering the invaders purposeful.

The Caen mission did not go too well however, as his team was ambushed by a large, spider-like demon wielding a huge chaingun. Once again, he was in despair. Jackson was brutally killed too. Running away, he was shot in the shoulder by stray bullet from the huge spider. His life flashed before his eyes. He was almost sure he'd be gone. Right then and there, a massive shockwave swept through Earth, killing most of the creatures in front of him and sending the others away. He got up but was unsurprised as he had seen enough surprises. He slowly limped towards the French starport with his protective helmet still on. He received immediate aid. The invaders had retreated, humanity was able to survive. He was visited by a certain Major Callahan.

"Lieutenant Santino Vitelli, you have been promoted to Captain. Colonel Flagg asked for you to be placed in command of a cleanup team. Your first cleanup mission will be in the tunnels under Eindhoven."

Santino could only nod.

A few days later while scouting the tunnels, he came across an unconscious marine. The marine was drenched in blood, his armor burned and had infernal claw marks on it. He was alive however and Santino arranged a medical evacuation for him. "Could he be the marine everyone spotted fighting alone?", he thought.

He wanted to be a space marine in the United Nations Space Marine Corps ever since he was a kid. The men in green, tan and black were heroes to him. His parents happily and proudly approved. He met his late wife in high school, her name was Denise Adams. They used to happily exchange messages and gifts. Santino thought he was set for life, but he never thought of this horrible invasion that almost brought mankind to its knees. Not even in his nightmares has he seen his loved ones and close friends die such horrible deaths at the hands of cold, unfeeling creatures with a burning hatred for life.

When news spread that contact has been lost with the Phobos and Deimos moon bases and that Deimos had suddenly disappeared, Santino was scared. For the first time in his life, he was truly scared. He had a feeling whatever took the Martian moons may reach him and his family too. When leaving to check disturbances at Earth, he assured his wife that she will be safe and fine but deep inside, he knew he wouldn't be able to fulfill that promise. His encounters with the demonic hordes have toughened him as he doesn't think twice before unloading his plasma bolts into one. They let out horrible shreiks and growls that failed to unfaze Santino from exterminating them right then and there. Even though most couldn't, he could see the fear manifesting on their faces a split second before they're put down. It didn't matter though, they kill without remorse or feeling and pose a threat to life. They must be dealt with swiftly.

Meanwhile, a faction of the invaders survived and made their base in in Hong Kong and built an enormous fortress on the nearby hills. It was still a huge threat and must be dealt with if Earth is to be retaken. It was ruled over by another one of the Cyberdemons. A marine opted to cleanse out the remaining demonic menace alone and was allowed to do so. Other platoons were positioned around the fortress as backup, Santino was in charge of one of them. Occasionally a demon or two would crawl or fly out in fear and pain. They were brought down in an instant. Within just eight hours, the marine emerged victorious. He was revealed to be the same marine who single-handedly thwarted the Phobos incursion, fought through Hell itself and destroyed a major portion of the demonic presence in Earth. He was lauded extremely highly in the Corps.

Santino had the chance of meeting him and sitting down to talk at the Mars base. He asked the marine about his experience with Hell and the hordes.

"To kill a demon, you must be a demon yourself. Be cold and mercilessly bring down each and every one of them, Captain. These creatures are here to do absolutely no good.", said the marine

"I wouldn't want to hurt you but what of your family and friends?", added Santino.

"The only family and friend I had was my pet rabbit, she was called Daisy. They killed her and impaled her head on a stick. What was supposed to be a regular day turned into a living nightmare for me, for everyone. I was curious as to what took Deimos and overran Phobos. When we arrived at Phobos, we found massive heat signatures and anomalous readings. I was scared too. I was left to guard the entrance while the rest of my team went ahead. One by one they were slaughtered. I listened as they fired blindly and were torn to bits."

"How did you feel?", asked Santino.

"Scared and hopeless. But I knew sitting around the entrance wouldn't do me much good so I took off and fired at everything that moved. I wonder myself as to how I survived the onslaught. Entering the gateway, I found myself in the Deimos base. Making my way through it, I noticed the walls changing right before my eyes into tissues of living flesh. How I wished back then it didn't happen to Earth. The demons constructed a huge tower on the edge of Deimos. It was guarded by what you call a Cyberdemon. Again, I don't know how I managed to survive this encounter. Currently, Deimos floats over Hell. I can't find words to describe what I saw there. Bodies strewn across the surface like it was a slasher film and much much more. We are also not the first ones to come in contact with them as I saw various artifacts and weapons that do not look like the ones they would use, probably explains their high-tech weapons."

"When I came down to Earth, I had to make my way through a small UAC complex infested with demons. Hoping this was a small invasion. I immediately set to work. There was a small training camp for those Phobos troopers. Those men fought viciously there, hundreds of demons lying dead around their own corpses. As I purged the complex, I went out to witness the awful truth and the rest is history..."

"Were you the one who assaulted the demons in the city?", asked Santino.

"Yes, Captain. I was the one. In fact, the demons were using that city as a major teleporting hub for their troops. I had to shut it down. That city is my hometown.", said the marine.

"I see, do you plan on fighting the menace further?"

"Yes sir, I have been assigned to oversee UAC ventures at Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. Those monkeys better not be cooking up some new suspicious shit and remember, Hell won't stop, ever."

"Sir? You're the superior here. Good luck and godspeed, I'm sure you wouldn't need it though.", said Santino.

"I might as well need it, thank you.", replied the marine as he left.

Santino had to leave too as he was called to lead cleansing operations in the narrowest alleys and buildings of Hong Kong. The city was still a vital stronghold for the remaining demons after the destruction of the fortress which was built on the hills surrounding it.

Phobos troopers were sent in first to hit the demons hard and come back quickly. Santino was in command of the regular troops. Entering the Peninsula Hotel, he utilized the same four-man formation which Jackson talked about earlier. His men cleansed out room after room of those hideous creatures. The surprise came in the hall when two large bipedal beasts throwing green fireballs of plasma appeared and killed three of the marines. Santino ordered all troops to concentrate fire on the beasts and within a minute, both were down. The marines didn't have much to do since the jet fighters frequently made sweeps on demonic positions in the city.

Called at a rendezvous point at Kowloon, the marines were ready to leave when suddenly, floating demons what many called 'Cacodemons' appeared. Santino remembered these to be the same beasts that laughed and cackled as his home was burned down. They smote down some marines and destroyed a dropship. Santino called the jet fighters to open fire on them. Engaging VTOL mode, they assisted the marines in taking them out. Right after that, a swarm of bull demons charged at them through a bridge, behind them were six Mancubi, obese monsters with flamethrowers for arms.

The Mancubi opened fire on the jet fighters, two were shot down. The fighters shifted fire on them, leaving the marines to tackle the bull demons alone. They held their ground, chaingun operators being the most proficient as their bullets torn through the thick demonic flesh. All the bull demons were eventually killed and so were the Mancubi. Hong Kong was purged.

Humanity rejoiced at their victory and started rebuilding their home world. Advanced UAC technology helped restore Earth to its previous glory. Demonic presence in Earth was supposedly cleansed by both Space Marine Corps and Phobos Troopers. The Phobos base and its famous Toxin Refinery was also reactivated. What happened in the moon base at Io was still unknown however...


	2. Chapter 2 - Fleeing from Gehenna

Seven years have passed since Hell on Earth. The demonic forces continued to make minor incursions into the human realm, only to be mercilessly exterminated by the hardened Space Marines. Santino remained a Captain in the Corps. He spent a lot of time with his men who he trained personally. They were among the best marines in the Corps. It was said that their skills were on par with Phobos Troopers.

Experiments with interdimensional gateway were limited to defensive uses, to seal portals opened by the hellspawn. The terraformer used to purify Earth's atmosphere was set to work in Mars. The Mars colony was also subject to small invasions but the marines there made short work of the demons. Humanity was stronger than ever, but the might of Hell was not to be underestimated.

The heroic marine, whose name was only known to top brass officials disappeared. He became a legend among the soldiers of the Corps. It has been rumored that he himself opted to be sent to a mission to eradicate demonic presence on an undisclosed planet that was bombarded with radiation. Whether he survived the events there remained unknown.

Santino was approached by a recruit.

"Hey Captain, my helmet visor ain't working, what do to?

"Just give it a few taps and it should work."

"Thanks cap. I feel strange about these UAC guys.."

"That's why a marine fends for himself. Now get back to Hangar before the sarge caps your ass."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The marine walked away.

Everyone still had a hard time resting as recurring memories of their close ones being eviscerated remained fresh in their minds. There was also a minor suicide epidemic two years after Hell on Earth, mainly among those whose relatives and family were working in the Deimos base which was instantly teleported to Hell.

Since the death of the Icon of Sin, the armies of Hell were reorganized under an unknown leadership. It seemed that they follow a policy of hostility towards the human race and will never deter from their ultimate goal; the conquest of Earth.

A few days later, a large invasion was launched in the heart of the city of Chongqing. The Quantum Accelerator was put to work immediately. The portal was too large to be shut down quickly. Hundreds of demons poured in endlessly and overran the populace and the local marines. The Chinese government couldn't afford to bombard the city as it was of great importance to them. The Space Marine Corps were immediately put into action with Phobos Troopers doing their usual work of using guerilla tactics to weaken the invaders at first.

"Exterminate with extreme prejudice."

This what the marines were always told before disembarking from their dropships, loading their shotguns, rifles, chainguns and plasma rifles and firing away at the barbaric and despicable invaders posing a grave threat to their existence. Evading ground fire from Mancubi and aerial assaults from Cacodemons, the marines finally landed and started assaulting the demons. Phobos Trooper teams left ammo and supplies scattered in different parts of the city for the marines. A souvenir or two wasn't uncommon either.

Santino and his men held a barricade in the Jiefangbei Square. The team's chaingunner, Hiroyuki Takahashi noticed more demons approaching them from the back.

"Behind us, Captain!"

"Chaingunner team, shift fire behind!", commanded Santino.

One man already fell. The chaingunners were able to bring the creeping demons down. Cover was somewhat scarce in fights against demons as it normally couldn't resist the fire and plasma attacks so staying mobile was of utmost importance.

Santino's platoon continued to fend off attacks from the demons. Approaching a corner, he was suddenly knocked down by a bull demon. Aiming his Plasma Rifle, he pulled the trigger but it jammed. He could sense the burning hatred in the demon's eyes preparing to devour its savory meal when suddenly, Hiroyuki appeared and brought the demon down quickly.

"Can you still handle a gun, Captain?"

"I can, but this Plasma Rifle's gone to shit. Got an extra?"

"You can use my shotgun then."

"Thanks a lot, I owe you."

"Anytime."

Santino's armor had suffered a large dent on the chestplate, adding to the numerous battle marks of his. He bore them rather proudly like other marines who survived Hell on Earth. Hiroyuki was a civilian living in the Mars colony with his father working as a chemist there. He watched silently with fear as Deimos disappeared into thin air. After Hell on Earth, he went to look for his friends he left there but eventually had to return to Mars empty-handed. Saddened with grief and great hatred for the invading menace, he enlisted in the United Nations Space Marine Corps and was assigned to Santino's squad.

"Always look after your fellow marine. Never desert them. The enemy we stand against is physically superior to us but it is our resilience that always prevails! Neutralize anything that even looks like a hellspawn. They show no remorse or guilt and we must be the same to them. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Being a marine, you're allowed to give in to your ever increasing hatred for them. Hence, you're allowed to collect 'trophies'."

This is what Santino told his men after they were assigned to his squad.

The Battle of Chongqing was a hard one, tightly packed streets and skyscrapers proved to be a challenge for the marines as they were frequently ambushed. Night time approached and Santino's squad set camp inside a destroyed two-storied flat. Suddenly, growling noises were heard.

"Specters!", the team's rifleman Carlton Cage screamed.

"Everyone switch to night vision. Fire at will.", Santino commanded.

Specters were simply bull demons with a special catch, they were partially invisible. They approached the building from all sides despite taking fire from a nearby marine team. Hiroyuki and the other chaingunners moved up to the second floor to stop the specters. The men were at a complete disadvantage as little movement space meant that they could be easily cornered by the specters. Two men were already torn to pieces.

Firepower alone could help them. The specters numbered around thirty and each took a barrage of bullets to die. The marines behind them were attacked by another group of specters. Santino's squad had to retreat as the onslaught was unbearable. Cage and Hiroyuki each threw fragmentation grenades to do more damage. Once outside, the specters were easy pickings as the men had switched to night vision. Their lumbering corpses reverted to the opaque state of normal bull demons.

The next day, an offensive was launched on the last demonic bastion in Chongqing, Kai County. The marines boarded APCs and dropships.

"Why hasn't the UN Space Command bombed the shit out of this place already?" Carlton said.

"Use that pint-sized brain of yours sometimes, Cage. History is important. Terraformers won't bring them back." O'Rourke, the rifleman replied."

"To hell with that. Blowing shit up is always the best solution!"

"Cut the chatter. All that is important is that we're going to take 'em down ourselves." Santino said.

Scorching fireballs soon graced the marines. They had reached Kai. The demons were desperately trying to defend their stronghold to allow for another portal to be opened there. A brutal battle ensued. Hell Knights remained vigil and guarded entryways. Specters and bull demons hid in alleyways and charged. Cacodemons suddenly appeared and unleashed their plasma energies. The battle got harder than ever for the marines as the very close proximity of buildings to one another gave more and more room for the stealthy invaders to take refuge and ambush. Space Command reconnaissance pilots reported the close gathering of demons in the center. Phobos Troopers were also sent in to scout and kill targets of opportunity but they couldn't cause damage as they usually do because there were just too many demons at once to combat. What they could do however was vital.

Their APC reached the drop point.

"Spread out!", commanded Santino as they immediately found themselves in the thick of it. The hardened marines advanced despite the hail of fireballs and demonic plasma. It was nothing for them. They were trained to be able to operate at the fullest even in total chaos. Demons fell left and right and so did a few marines. Among a pile of heap however, the marines found a trapped Phobos Trooper. He regained consciousness and identified himself as Trooper Dieter Wilhelm. Santino approached him.

"How long have you been under?"

"I don't remember Captain, We were ordered to pull out. We were making our way around this building when a few rockets flew into it."

"You mean there's a Cyberdemon around?"

"Didn't look like the rockets a Cyberdemon would fire. They were much smaller."

"Space Command wasn't authorized to bomb!", exclaimed O'Rourke.

"Stay frosty everyone, we'll ask the General when we're done. Trooper, you're coming with us."

"Roger"

Making their around the streets, they met with little resistance. The local populace were somewhat instrumental. After Hell on Earth, all civilians were issued with a handgun and some provisions for basic self-defense. They had quite a few demon kills to their credit.

"I guess they will have to make a far larger Quantum Accelerator now.", said Cage.

"Yeah, what were they doing on Jupiter anyways?", asked Lance Corporal Hamid.

"It was on Io, one of Jupiter's moons and not on Jupiter itself. All we know is that only a single marine left that base, nothing more.", added Sergeant Willard Baker.

"And what happened to the UAC base in the Amazons? They had the first Quantum Accelerators.", asked Hamid again.

"It appears that no one knows shit about such isolated incidents. But then again, only one marine ever got out of the base after the invasion.", added Trooper Wilhelm.

At that moment, they were welcome with a volley of rockets.

"What the fuck?!", that was all Cage could say as a group of half-machine, half-demon creatures wielding rocket launchers revealed themselves and fired another volley.

"Everyone spread out!", ordered Santino.

"Plasma riflemen, go!", ordered Sergeant Baker.

The rockets they fired flamed as they flew through the air. One of the rockets flew into a nearby truck causing an explosion, the radius of which caught O'Rourke and Cage and injured them. Trooper Wilhelm made his way through the surrounding buildings in an attempt to flank. One of the demons spotted him however, and fired two rockets. One missed him completely and another exploded in front him. Recovering quickly, he unleashed a stream of plasma onto the demon, killing it. He then used his charged shot to take down another. The remaining three demons fixed their attention him. Realizing this, Wilhelm quickly took off and ran back while dodging rockets. This paved the way for an opportunity.

"Fire at will!" ordered Santino.

The three creatures were brought down with ease in a hail of bullets and plasma. O'Rourke and Cage were given stimpacks while the corpses were examined.

"Where do they get their cyber shit from?", asked Hiroyuki.

"Good question.", added Hamid.


End file.
